Amusement device



Sept. 10, 1940. B SNYDER 2,214,486

AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Oct. 25, 1938 73 35 ;7; /0 a l f INVENTOR. 5g, 7

BY 1/146, 25. SAM 052.,

' ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 10, 1940 PATENT OFFICE AMUSEIVIENT' DEVICE Elmer B..Snyder, Cornwells Heights, Pa., assignor of fifty per cent to George D. Coblentz, Cornwells Heights, Pa.

Application October 25, 1938, Serial No. 236,841

4 Claims.

This invention has to do with dart boards such as are commonly employed for targets in the playing of games involving the throwing of missiles such as darts.

It is well recognized that the playing of various now-known games on dart boards by'throwing the darts thereagainst involves a certain amount of physical skill on the part of the player. together with a certain amount of the so-called luck element which is always present. I The playing of the various games involving the use of a deck of cards generally involves an exercise of the mental faculties to incorporate into the games which might be termed mental skill, and with which is, of course, inevitably associated the element of luck. Generally speaking the playing of the various games of cards heretofore has been characterized by the entire absence of any physical skill, whereas the playing of darts has been lacking in the element of mental skill.

With the foregoing conditions in mind this invention has in view, as its foremost objective, the provision of a dart board whereby the desirable attributes of the playing of card games may be combined with the desirable attributes of the various games of darts. Thus the elements of physical and mental skill which heretofore have identified each of these types of games individually are combined to form a distinctly new type of game, namely the playing of card games on a dart board.

In carrying out this idea in actual practice the invention has in view, as an object, the provision of a dart board the target surface of which is divided into a plurality of areas each of which is in turn provided with suitable indicia for indicating one card of the usual deck of playing cards.

An important phase of the invention is the particular manner of identifying each card of the deck on the target surface of the dart board.

Inasmuch as all conventional decks of cards include four suits, the invention has in view, as an object, the provision of a dart board of the character above noted in which each area is provided first with suitable indicia for indicating a particular suit, and, secondly, with further indicia for indicating the value of the card in that suit.

More in detail the invention contemplates an arrangement in which each suit is identified by a particular color, while the value of the card in each suit will be designated numerically or alphabetically.

. With an arrangement involving the identification of suits by color it becomes important that the board include indicating areas for clearly establishing just which suit is identified by a particular color. Thus, if hearts are to be indicated by the color red, then the dart board 5 should include at a noticeable location on its target surface an area'that is coloredred, together with lettering designating hearts. The same board should also include, at another location, an appropriate indicating area for the dia- 10 monds, and the color which identifies the same, as well as similar areas for the clubs and spades.

Another somewhat more detailed object of the invention is the provision of a dart board of the character above noted in which each of the areas 15 which identifies a-card of the deck is marked off bymetallic markers which are embedded in the body of the board and which lie substantially flush with the face thereof. With the use of such metallic markersit is impossible for a dart to come to rest on a dividing line, as the metallic marker will deflect the point of the dart to one side 01' the other.

Yet another object of the invention is the provisionof a dart board of the character above noted inwhich the areas that represent the individual cards of the deck are substantially rectangular in formation. This formation particularly lends itself. to the various areas being arranged in a compact formation and renders simple the dividing oif into areas, as continuous markers may be used.

Moreover, bearing in mind that there are fiftytwo cards in the usual playing deck, and the need for an indicating area for each suit bringing the total of required areas up to fifty-six, it is possible to provide a compact board that is seven units in one direction and eight units in the other, providing the necessary total of fiftysix unit areas. v 4 40 Another object of the invention is the provision of a dart board of the character above noted which includes an area for representing a joker, which is generally included as a card in the usual playing'deck, and sometimes required 45 in the playing of certain games. As it is wellknown, the joker has no suit, and this joker would not be designated by a color representing any of the particular suits.

A further somewhat more detailed object of the invention is the provision of a dart board of the character above described which is substantially rectangular in formation corresponding to the rectangular formation of the individual units. Associated with the board as an 5 stantially the same size and shape. .75

entirety are suitable means for supporting the same in effective playing position.

Various other more detailed objects and advantages of the invention such as arise in connection with carrying out the above noted thoughts in a practical embodiment will in part become apparent, and in part be hereinafter stated, asthe description of the invention proceeds.

The invention, therefore, comprises a dart board of substantially rectangular formation including means for supporting the same in playing position. The board includes, on its target surface, a plurality of unit areas each also substantially rectangular in fo-rmation and which are marked off by metallic dividers. The board includes a unit area for each card in the playing deck, and which area bears indicia, preferably in the form of a color, for designating a suit, and additional indicia for indicating the value in that suit. The board also includes a unit area that indicates which color represents a particular suit, and also an area for a joker.

For a full and more complete understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dart board made in accordance with the precepts of this invention, and

Figure 2 is an enlarged detailed view in perspective .of a portion of the board bringing out the manner in which metallic markers are embedded therein.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts, it is noted that the invention has been illustrated in the drawing and is hereinafter described as it applies to usual four suit playing decks, each suit including thirteen cards of numerical value from two to ten, and the honors of jack, queen, king and ace. It is to be remembered, however, that the invention is readily adaptable to represent on the target surface such decks as pinochie decks that include only forty-eight cards, there being two cards of each suit of the 9s, 10s, jacks, queens, kings and aces. Similarly other abbreviated decks might be represented on the target surface of the board.

Figure 1 illustrates a dart board that includes a main body portion identified by the reference character ii]. This main body portion ll) may be made from any appropriate material, although the invention has particularly in mind the use of a wood which readily lends itself to having the dart points embedded therein and be maintained in the embedded position. It is to be particularly understood, however, that the board may be made from any material or composition that lends itself to the particular use required.

The main body portion Hi is shown as being of substantially rectangular formation defined by side faces H and i2, a top it and a bottom I 4. Any appropriate means may be provided for supporting the dart board in playing position. One such arrangement may involve the eye screws at 55, which are embedded in the top edge 53, and which constitute anchorages for a suspension wire shown at 86.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of'the invention the body it isprovided with a target face (on one or both sides thereof) and this target face is divided up into a plurality of unit areas each of which is preferably sub- VVith each unit area of the rectangular formation illustrated metallic dividing strips such as shown at I I in Figure 2 may be employed.

These metallic strips 41 are notched at appropriate points, as indicated at 18, to provide for the crossing with strips extending normal thereto, and the various strips H are embedded in the grooves shown at l9. Any preferred expedient for maintaining the strips assembled in the grooves 49 may be employed, the invention having particularly in mind an ararngement in which the dividing strips are very thin and are driven into the wooden body 10 to form the grooves and be maintained in the position by the frictional resistance set up as an incident to the driving in of the strips.

So far as this invention is concerned the particular formation of the strips and the manner in which they are held in position on the target face of the board is not important, the essential feature being that the unit areas are marked off by metallic dividing strips.

.In the illustrated embodiment the target face of the board ill is shown as being seven units wide and eight units high, providing a total of fifty-six regular unit areas. Of the fifty-six unit areas fifty-two are required to represent each regular playing card of the four suit, thirteen cards to a suit, deck, leaving four unit areas as suit indicators.

While these suit indicators may be located at any desired positions, the invention has particularly in view an arrangement in which there is a suit indicator disposed at each corner. Thus the unit area shown at 20' is maintained as the suit indicator for the heart suit. Thus the color, preferably red, which is intended to designate hearts, appears as the background of this unit area on which the letters making up the word hearts are formed. Obviously the word hearts might be abbreviated and simply a large H used in place thereof.

The unit area at the upper right hand corner, which is designated 2|, preferably has a green background on which are formed the letters making up the word diamonds. Similarly the unit area at the lower right hand corner, designated 22, is colored yellow, and the letters making up the word clubs are formed thereon, and finally the unit area 23 at the lower left hand corner. is black with the letters making up the word spades formed thereon.

While it is not deemed necessary to here go into a detailed description of each of the unit areas on the board it is noted that each area has a background of the color designating the particular suit of the card which is to be represented by that area. Formed on this background is a letter or numeral designating the particular value in that suit. Thus the ace of clubs, which is shown in the unit area designated 24, is represented by a yellow background on which appears the letter A, the latter being preferably shown in some color not taken for suit designating purposes, such as white.

A fifty-six unit area board of the type illustrated does not include any regular unit which may be employed for joker representation purposes. Accordingly, two of the unit areas at any desired location, such as the center of the board, are reduced somewhat in size and made of an irregular formation to provide area, as shown at 25, which includes a proper designation for the joker. This area 25 is preferably of a color not employed for suit designating purposes.

It is to be clearly understood that a dart board made in accordance with this invention may be made with the various unit areas of any size commensurate with the particular use to which the board is to be put, the size of the units obviously determining the size of the board.

It is also to be understood that various modifications in the particular arrangement and shape of the unit areas, as well as the particular indicia, may be carried out without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dart board of the character described comprising a body presenting a target face, said target face being divided into a plurality of unit areas, each of said unit areas carrying a. color or background which represents a certain suit of a deck of cards, certain areas on said target face indicating which suit is represented by a particular color or background and a single large character on each area for indicating the value of a card in a particular suit.

2. A dart board of the character described comprising a rectangularly-shaped body presenting a rectangularly-shaped target face, said target face being divided into a plurality of rectangularly shaped unit areas, certain unit areas on said target face carrying indicia for indicating just which suit of a deck of cards is represented by a particular color or background, each of the other unit areas carrying a particular color or background whereby a certain suit is represented thereby in conformance to the said indicating areas and, a single large character substantially of the maximum size which a unit area may carry on each of said unit areas for designating the value of a card in a particular suit.

3. A dart board of the characterdescribed comprising a body presenting a rectangularly-shaped target face, said target face being divided into a plurality of rectangularly-shaped unit areas, the unit area at each corner of said target face carrying-indicia for identifying each suit of a deck of cards by a particular color or background, each of the other unit areas carrying a color or background corresponding to one of the unit areas at the corner whereby some particular suit of a deck of cards is denoted by the color or background of each unit area, and asingle large character substantially of the maximum size which a unit area may carry on each of the unit areas other than the corner unit areas denoting the value of a card in a particular suit.

4. A dart board of the character described comprising a body presenting a rectangularly shaped target face, said target face being divided into fifty-six rectangularly-shaped unit areas arranged with seven unit areas in one dimension and eight unit areas in a dimension normal thereto, the unit area at each corner of said target face carrying indicia for identifying one of the suits of adeck of cards by a particular color or background, each of the other unit areas carrying a color or background corresponding to one of the corner unit areas whereby one of the suits of a ,deckof cards is represented by each of these said unit areas other than the corner unit areas, and a large character on each of said unit areas other than the corner unit areas for designating the value of a card in a particular suit.

ELMER B. SNYDER. 

